Tornado rips off roofs, uproots trees in Philippine capital

Tornado rips off roofs, uproots trees in Philippine capitalManila - A tornado struck a suburb of the Philippine capital Manila Thursday, ripping off the roofs of several houses and uprooting trees.

No one was hurt when the tornado hit a group of houses near the University of the Philippines in suburban Quezon City, said Nathaniel Cruz, the country's chief weather forecaster.

"It was a relatively strong tornado," he told the German News Agency dpa from the scene. "Some of the roofs of the houses were thrown on top of trees. Electric posts were toppled."

Amelia Camingao, 47, a resident of the area, said she and her three children scampered for safety as the roof of their house was blown off and thrown into the street.

"We were very scared," she said. "I thought it was the end of the world."

Heavy rains have been pummelling the Philippine capital and nearby provinces since Monday.

The education department suspended afternoon and night classes in public elementary and high schools on Thursday due to continuous rains that have already inundated some areas.(dpa)